Last night, my younger sister and I were fortunate to have received the opportunity to watch Dr Ben Carson being interviewed live on stage at the Telstra Clear Pacific Events Centre, Manukau City. On our way to the venue, traffic congestion was the first indication that this was going to be a magnificient night. With an audience of about 2000 (or more), my younger sister and I could not help but feel the excitement that was buzzing in the atmosphere. As we looked around, the arena was filled with school children and families of different ages and ethnicities. It was indeed an incredible turn out!

The Seventh Day Adventist Church hosted this evening with Dr Ian Grant and Petra Bagust as the interviewers. Dr Ian Grant is a well known and much loved New Zealander. Ian and his wife Mary’s passion for helping parents to raise great kids has resulted in TV and Radio shows, seminars, conferences, books and resources. In 1993 they founded Parents Inc which has helped hundreds of thousands of New Zealand families. Petra Bagust has been involved in a range of roles in New Zealand Media and she is currently the co-host of TV1’s Breakfast show. She is also a devout Christian.

The night began with a couple of soulful song performances by DAY 7, who are a large group of New Zealand Pasifika Men who sing Gospel songs and they have performed throughout New Zealand as well as overseas. Their strong and beautiful harmonies set the mood for the evening. I couldn’t help but go teary eyed at their voices!

Dr Ian Grant and Petra Bagust took to the stage to welcome audience members and then they had the honour in introducing Dr Ben Carson. What was great about their introduction of Dr Ben Carson was that they had shown a brief video montage of his life which included snippets of his movie “GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY” before they brought him on stage. Dr Ben Carson’s wife was seated in the front as part of the audience with the other special guests that had attended. Here’s link to the movie trailer:

When Dr Ben Carson was invited up on stage, the audience started clapping, some cheered and others stood up from their seats to welcome him on stage. My sister and I were so excited! The interview was conducted in three segments, with members of DAY 7 who sung in between the segment breaks. The interview was so captivating! Dr Ian Grant and Petra Bagust did a wonderful job in interviewing Dr Ben Carson. I have seen Dr Ben Carson’s movie, read his books but I had never ever imagined that I would be able to see him in person speak truth to his life. What a blessing!

Dr Ben Carson spoke eloquently and he was quite humourous too which may have surprised many lol! He spoke of his Mother and the struggles that she had gone through and the decision that she made, when he and his brother were young children, that their lives were going to be different to hers. Dr Ben Carson explained that his Mother came from a family of 24, yes… 24! She was married by the age of 13 and when he and his brother were still in elementary school, she found out that her husband (their father) had a second family that was unbeknown to her. Dr Ben Carson’s parents then divorced and his Mother was left to raise Ben and his brother as a single Mother. He talked about how they lived in poverty at that time. His Mother was battling with depression during the time she had encouraged Ben and his brother to read books and she asked Ben and his brother to turn in 2 book reports a week which marked the beginning of a new path that he and his brother were about to embark on. This inevitably lead to life changing experiences. He proudly acknowledged that his Mother was a strong woman who refused to see him and his brother fail. What a phenomenal woman!

Furthermore, Dr Ben Carson gave parenting advice. He emphasised the importance of igniting your children’s interest in reading books by starting with them at a young age and that the first responsibility ultimately lies with you as the parent. His Mother was illiterate at the time she had encouraged him and his brother to read books which was a shining example, that with a determined spirit, all things are possible. It was fitting that my sister was there as she has a 2 year old daughter. My sister and I kept nudging each other while Dr Ben Carson spoke and we whispered to each other; ‘we should do that’, ‘oh Bubba will have her own wall length book case filled with books by the time she’s 5‘ and we giggled. We agreed with everything that Dr Ben Carson had advised about parenting and especially the importance of investing your time in your children.

During one of the segment breaks, everyone (about 2000 people or more) was asked to stand and together we sang How Great Thou Art! I was all teary eyed at this point. I sang my heart out (poor people who sat near me lol!) and as I sang I felt so grateful to be there to hear Dr Ben Carson speak in an environment which was Christian based. It was truly heart-warming!

Dr Ben Carson also spoke about the anatomy of the brain and how ‘God has given us more than fourteen billion cells and connections in our brain and that we should use it‘. He consistently acknowledged his faith in God and how that has helped shape him as a person. He boldly stated last night ‘God gives us gifts and talents and you need to discover that, recognise what they are and develop them which will in turn help you and also contribute to the betterment of mankind‘. He mentioned in one of his comments ‘we must engage in the re-awakening of thecan dospirit rather than indulge in the what can you do for meway of thinking‘ and as a response the entire arena was filled with applause.

With the release of his latest book America the Beautiful last month, he acknowledged last night that he co-wrote this book with his wife. He then spoke of the positive impact that she has also had in his life. When he was still studying at Yale University, USA, there was a point where he was struggling with his workload and it was his wife (his girlfriend at the time) that had encouraged him to read more. He did just that, continued to work hard and he successfully completed his course of study. What a wonderful acknowledgement of his wife! I am looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of this book YAY!

At the end of the interview, Dr Ben Carson was asked to say a prayer for eveyone that was in the arena. This came as a surprise and you know what? Dr Ben Carson then looked out into the audience and asked us to stand as he prayed. WOW! Once he had finished his prayer, he remained on stage and the entire audience that filled the arena gave him a standing ovation. It was so awesome!

The interview was extensive and this recount is only a snippet of what was discussed last night. I wish that I had the chance to shake Dr Ben Carson’s hand and also to ask him sign my books that I have of his but unfortunately due to the large number of audience members, the organisers whisked him away once he had walked off stage lol! Nonetheless, my younger sister and I were so glad and truly grateful to the organisers for providing our Auckland community with a wonderful opportunity to hear Dr Ben Carson speak live. What a blessing indeed!

There was a question that stood out for me and it was when Petra Bagust asked Dr Ben Carson “What does success look like to you?” and his response was truly humbling! Immediately after the question was raised, he stated, “Success is using your talent that God gave you to uplift others”. The entire arena was filled with applause and I was teary eyed once again! It was such an amazing night. Dr Ben Carson is truly an inspirational speaker. He is a man of humility, a man of success, a man with a big heart but most of all he is an extraordinary man of God!

I hope that they sell DVD’s of Dr Ben Carson’s talks here in New Zealand. It would surely be great to have a copy of last night’s interview. I’ll end this post with this short piece which was filmed a while back:

For more info on Dr Ben Carson’s books etc please read an earlier blog that I had posted about his visit to New Zealand: Dr Ben Carson in New Zealand

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57 Comments

Thanks for the post. Dr. Carson’s life is a testament to the transforming power of God. I love the way that he honors his mother and her giving him and his brother such a good foundation. You and your sister were blessed to be able to see him in person.

What an awesome event. Dr Ben Carson is so inspiring – thank you for sharing his story and the live interview. The best line for me is: “Success is using your talent that God gave you to uplift others”

Isn’t his statement just humbling? A man of his calibre and experience, he still honours God in everything that he does. In a few days he’s managed to touch so many people here in Auckland. He is such an inspiration 🙂

Hi,
My name is Vivienne and I go to Pt England school. I really like your post about Dr Ben Carson. I also went too! It inspired lots of us students. Maybe you could check out my blog as well. Thank you for sharing your story.

Hi Viviene,
It is an absolute pleasure to have you visit my blog and thank you for also leaving a comment. Dr Ben Carson is truly an inspirational man. I am delighted to read that you attend Pt England school. I was first raised in Glen Innes where I attended Pt England kindergarten and also Ruapotaka Primary. My family and I ended up moving house before I finished primary school there. Glen Innes will always be a fond memory for me. I will gladly visit your blog. Thank you for stopping by.
God bless xox

Wow, thank-you very much for that wonderful post. I am Chante a year 7 student and I go to Pt England School. I was fortunate enough as well as you to have the opportunity to see Dr Ben Carson, and liten to his story. In fact most of the students at my school did! Anyway, that was a wonderful post, and I love his story it is inspiring. I live in Glen Innes and that is NOT a really rich place so I could really relate to his story, most o the time. That was a awesome post and you can go and visit my blog, as I will have a post up very soon. You are a very talented person and I hope to see more blog posts of your adventures.

Hi Chante,
Thank you for visiting my blog and for your kind words. I am glad to read that you and the students at Pt England school got the chance to see Dr Ben Carson speak. Isn’t he just amazing? His story shows a lot of heart and perseverance. I was first raised in Glen Innes where I attended Pt England kindergarten and also Ruapotaka Primary. My family and I ended up moving house before I finished primary school there. I have great childhood memories of Glen Innes 🙂 Thank you for stopping by. I am looking forward to visiting your blog.
God bless xox

Awesome ! I am so glad that students at your school got to go! I bet you will never forget the experience!! I remember going to see an awesome author when I was in high school named Alex Haley, the author of “Roots” it was later made into a movie and was so inspiring! Will also check out your blog!

That was the most inspirational thing that I have read and seen. He is right the person that has the most to do is YOU, when I heard those words I thought to myself and instantly I knew he was right. Thank you fr sharing that with us it felt like I was right there live.
Have a awesome day
Cruz 🙂

Hi Cruz,
Thank you for your kind words. I am pleased that you have visited my blog, thank you 🙂 Dr Ben Carson is truly an inspirational man and he found his love in reading books while he was in Primary school which is just awesome! I appreciate your visit and I am looking forward to visiting your blog.
God bless xox

My school went to the day interview. Dr Ben Carson was a very inspiring man, he had a really hard life. I was interested through out the interview, I was really amazed. I have also seen the movie Gifted Hands it is really exciting and heartbreaking.

Hi Waata,
I’m glad that you were able to make it to the day interview with Dr Ben Carson. That would have been awesome! It’s also great to read that you have seen his movie. Dr Ben Carson is indeed an inspirational man Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to visiting your blog 🙂
God bless xox

I agree with you. I think that he is a very inspirational Person. He thinks in a way that is different from many other people. He looks on the positive side of things, Which shows me that he is very humble. He is a very inspirational Man.

Hi Selena,
I love how you have stated that Dr Ben Carson looks at the positives which is different to how many people would view things if there were faced with difficult situations. I agree with you, he is indeed a very humble and truly inspirational man. Thank you for visiting my blog and I look forward to visiting your blog.
God bless xox

Hi Maryanne Pale,
I am an extension student from Pt England School. We went to the Ben Carson live interview during the day. I think that your piece of writing was very informational about the event. Although we didn’t have interviewers onstage but Ben Carson was speaking him self. It was truly inspirational.

Hi Shoal,
It’s a pleasure to have you visit my blog. I appreciate your kind words. I’m glad to read that you were also able to see Dr Ben Carson speak. I agree with you, he is truly inspriational. Thanks for stopping by and I am looking forward to visiting your blog 🙂
God bless xox

I am a year 8 student part of the Extension group here at Pt England school. I have to say, reading through your blog really did show me you have a GREAT time! I went to the earlier session were there were heaps more schools, where he spoke about his life and told us how he go to where he is now. He is a very inspiring speaker isn’t he? I had heaps of things I was inspired about and that was when he said “All of us are special and you all have a hidden talent, don’t be afraid to share it.” I was inspired by that saying! Anyway, GREAT post once again and maybe you can leave me a comment o the post I will be posting soon on my blog.

Hi Sylvia,
It’s wonderful to have you visit my blog, thank you! It’s great to read that you were part of the extension group at Pt England school that attended Dr Ben Carson’s public appearance. What an awesome opportunity for you all! I agree with you, he sure is an inspiring speaker 🙂 I love the quote that you have written: “ALL OF US ARE SPECIAL AND YOU ALL HAVE A HIDDEN TALENT, DON’T BE AFRAID TO SHARE IT.” Truly encouraging indeed! Thank you for your kind words and yes, most definitely, I will visit your blog and leave you a comment 🙂
God bless xox

Your reflection about the interview with Ben Carson was inspirational. I also too went to the Ben Carson interview with my class. Ben Carson really inspired me through reading books. We can now see how powerful the effect is on reading books because you learn what is happening and you gain knowledge. With knowledge we can almost do anyting. But to do anything we need God. I am a chritstian and I got to Mangere Worship Centre Church. Thank-you for sharing your time at the interview. keep up the great work! Maybe some time you should visit my blog because I too is going to write a blog post about my time at the interview. This is my link: pesjoshuav.blogspot.com. For now take care.

Hi Joshua,
Thank you for your kind words. It is awesome to read that you and your fellow students can see the powerful effect that reading books has on learning. It’s humbling to also read how wrote that “we can almost do anything. But to do anything we need God.” What a powerful statement and I completely agree with you! Thank you for visiting my blog. I am looking forward to visiting your blog and reading your post about Dr Ben Carson’s interview.
God bless xox

My name is Raenan and your writing is amazing! Some of my school went to see Dr Ben Carson too but we went during the day. Dr Ben Carson inspired me talking about his life. He Shocked me when he said he almost killed someone when he was a young boy.

Hi Raenan,
Thank you for visiting my blog. What a pleasure it is to read that you and some of your school students went to see Dr Ben Carson too! I’m glad that his life story has inspired you. I believe that he shares everything about his life in order to inspire people of all ages to strive to be the best person that they can be. He reminds us that you are ultimately responsible for the choices that you make in your life. I’m glad that Dr Ben Carson has shown us that by making the right choices, it can lead you to achieving your dreams. I appreciate your visit and I am looking forward to visiting your blog.
God bless xox

Hey Maryanne Pale,
I am a year 7 at Pt England School and just reading your your post makes me so teary eyed as well. I am a huge fan of Dr Ben Carson as well. I went to the day session with half of my school. It was so cool. But this time we had sung the Duffy Song. He also said THINK BIG which inspired me the most. Anyway your post itself is amazing.

Hi Makerita,
It’s a pleasure to have you visit my blog, thank you! I’m glad to read that you’re also from Pt England school. I was first raised in Glen Innes where I attended Pt England kindergarten and also Ruapotaka Primary. My family and I ended up moving house before I finished primary school there. It warms my heart to hear from you and your other fellow students because it brings back those good memories of growing up in Glen Innes. Yes, I remember the Duffy song! How awesome! I bet Dr Ben Carson would have loved your singing! Thank you for your kind words and yes, always remember what Dr Ben Carson said: “THINK BIG”. I look forward to visiting your blog.
God bless xox

Hi Darius,
I’m glad to read that you were also there too. That is so awesome! I’m glad that Dr Ben Carson has inspired you to find out more about your talents and what you can achieve. Sounds like you had a great time with Dr Ben Carson. He has lived an intriguing life hasn’t he? If you don’t get the chance to see him again while he is here in New Zealand, he has published 5 books now which will help you find out more about his life. You can find more info about the books in the link above (in my post). Thank you for visiting my blog. I look forward to visiting your blog.
God bless xox

Hi Kingston,
That is awesome to read that you also went to the interview too. He definitely is an inspiring man! Thank you for your kind words and also for visiting my blog. I look forward to visiting your blog. Enjoy the remainder of your week.
God bless xox

Hey Sis, I am so glad that we went to see Dr Ben Carson. 🙂 How about when we didn’t want the interview to end lol! Thank you for your words of encouragement 🙂 I appreciate the love and support that you have shown over the years. Blogging is definitely a positive outlet to share my bits and pieces of my journey and I’m enjoying it 🙂 God bless and I love you, Bubba and Finau xox

Oh wow! What a blessing! Your son would have been absolutely inspired by Dr Ben Carson. I agree with you, Dr Ben Carson is truly is a great human being with such a humble soul. It warms my heart to have read your post. God bless xox

I am a year 8 student which attends Pt Enland School. I really enjoyed reading you experience at the Ben Carson show, I also went there during the morning and I absolutely loved it. It was such a lovely life story. I really look up to Dr Ben Carson as well. He is very inspirational man. By the way, I really enjoy reading your blog. It’s very cool and interesting.

Thank you for visiting my blog. It is heart-warming to read that you enjoyed your experience with Dr Ben Carson. I’m glad that you look to Dr Ben Carson as I do too. He is indeed an inspirational man. It’s great to read that you attend Pt England School. I attended Pt England kindergarten and Ruapotaka primary school before my family and I moved away from Glen Innes. Thank you for your kind words and I look forward to reading your blog.

What a wonderful & inspiring man. I couldn’t help but go all teary eyed reading this blog, reading about how he grew up, and how he was able to overcome obstacles. I loved his comment ‘we must engage in the re-awakening of the can do spirit rather than indulge in the what can you do for me way of thinking‘ this is something we could all learn from. Your blog is a prime example of one his comments when he said “Success is using your talent that God gave you to uplift others”. It’s great to read that not only does your blog inspire us the older generation, but also these young students. Keep up the fantastic writing, I throughly enjoy reading your blogs, it’s like a breath of fresh air, everytime I come on to read your blogs, it inspires and motivates me to just keeping striving. Thank you once again, love yah loads

Hi Sis,
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. It is fairly long but I feel it still doesn’t quite cover EVERYTHING that was shared at Dr Ben Carson’s interview. Ponks and I had a great time and we were so grateful to be able to be there to listen to what Dr Ben Carson had to say. He is very inspirational. Thank you for your feedback and your encouraging words sis. I appreciate it very much 🙂 Have a fantastic new week. God bless & ‘Ofa lahi atu xox

Awesome! When I heard he was coming I thought…HAVE TO BE THERE! I am glad that you got the opportunity to hear him. I was waiting for word from our Duffy sponsors lol I guess I waited too long ha ha……..but amazing story and it has come at an awesome time! March is NZ book month! His story was shared with all staff today! Such an inspiration and a tribute to all mothers who encourage their children to read!

Aww! I wish you had been there Lavinia. You would have absolutely loved it and so would the kids at your school. It’s great the March is NZ book month too. I believe there is a kids version of “Gifted Hands” written by Dr Ben Carson. Not entirely sure but you can check with Duffy if they know of it. Dr Ben Carson is a testament that through hardwork, reslience and faith in God all things are possible. ‘Ofa atu xox

What a relief to locate someone who actually knows what they’re speaking about on the internet.More and more people should read this and understand the importance of it.Very informative post,i love this site,keep it up!

I read, Think Big, when I was in my late 30’s. That book pushed me to be a better person and to this day I still remember that story as if I read it yesterday. I followed all his stories from that point on. I wish I could have met him when I was recently in Baltimore at John Hopkins.
Maryanne, I want to give you a personal high five for being the 1st person that began to follow my blog. Since then 5 others have joined. Although my group is small I appreciate each and everyone. Continued success to you!

Hi Lila,
That is wonderful to hear that Dr Ben Carson’s book helped push you to be a better person. He books have inspired me too. Thank you for the high five! I enjoy reading your updates. It’s an adventure that you’re on and I’m glad that you are documenting it via blogging. Exciting indeed! Continue to travel safely and I look forward to reading more of your updates.
Many blessings & love to you xox